The Monegasque driver discussed with the BBC the difficulties of being a Formula 1 front-runner.
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Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for Ferrari
Because of Ferrari’s long-term commitment to Leclerc, whose current deal runs in 2024, whoever teams up with him will necessarily have to take a backseat.
Sebastian Vettel played the position for a while, but he obviously did not enjoy it, and his performances deteriorated as a result. Sainz, who is steadily integrating himself with the Ferrari, is only 2.5 points behind the Monegasque driver. Even while they believe they currently do, the team may soon be required to give the Spanish driver more equal footing.
In F1 2022, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the same standing at Ferrari.
According to Ferrari team president Mattia Binotto, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will continue to hold equal status throughout the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Ferrari made it clear that both of its drivers were on an equal footing throughout 2021, and team orders were only put in place to help the team’s chances during its fierce competition with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship, which it ultimately won.
Leclerc and Sainz competed head-to-head throughout the entire season, with Sainz winning the drivers’ standings by five and a half points. Binotto had proclaimed his team’s lineup to be the best on the F1 grid earlier in the season.
Ferrari won’t implement a policy of having a number one driver in 2022, according to Binotto.
As we frequently say, the track will determine the drivers, according to Binotto.
“The team is always the top priority, but there’s no doubt that the track will determine who is in the lead if they are able to contend for a significant place in the championship.
“We won’t follow a number one and number two policy. When the time comes, we will just address it in terms of track positions.
Binotto emphasized that despite losing to Sainz in their first season as teammates, he had been “extremely delighted” with Leclerc’s efforts throughout the season and noted that the Monegasque lost about 40 points owing to unfavorable circumstances.
Even in the latter part of the season, when Carlos may have been testing him a little more, I believe he has always been quite quick in qualifying, according to Binotto.
“I believe it is important to remember that he failed to score in a few instances during the season, including Monaco and Budapest. I believe that he had bad driving luck on those instances.
“Without those, it’s hard to determine where he would have placed, but his categorization may be deficient by at least 40 points. He would have been far further ahead in the tournament without that, to reiterate.
“Therefore, I can only judge his season in a very positive light. Additionally, he has learned how to control the tyres, race scenarios, and race pace. I am therefore happy with the advancement he has made.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Mercedes
The arrival of long-term prospect George Russell was the greatest development at Mercedes going into 2022. That is, up until Lewis Hamilton’s ominous post-race interview during the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Following a devastating defeat, Hamilton made a suggestion that he might be thinking about his future in the sport and whether he will even compete next year.
Could the seven-time champion truly leave a squad that appears to be in a strong position to keep competing for victories? In Formula 1, stranger things have occurred.
Alongside a driver considered to be among the best of all time, Russell will be preparing for his toughest test to date. Russell has always been highly regarded by Mercedes, and now that his road to the team is complete, there is no question that he can compete against the best of the best in Formula 1.
He demonstrated his readiness by filling in for Hamilton during the 2020 Sakhir GP, and he outran both Mercedes cars in the 2021 Belgian GP qualifying session despite challenging road conditions.
It’s unclear if he will instantly attack Hamilton the way Charles Leclerc did against Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, but he won’t be holding back.
Who will be a Ferrari driver in 2022?
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. from Ferrari and Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo from McLaren are both set to compete in 2022.
Who will drive for Ferrari going forward?
Charles Leclerc will drive for Ferrari alongside Carlos Sainz in 2023 after the latter agreed to an extension of his contract before this season. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time F1 champion, is under contract with Mercedes through the end of 2023, while George Russell is committed to the team on a long-term basis.
Who will be the McLaren 2023 driver?
Friday, September 2, 2022, at 15:30. It is now official that Oscar Piastri will take Daniel Ricciardo’s spot at McLaren in 2023. The current Alpine reserve driver, who has been the subject of weeks of rumors and conjecture over the 2021 Formula 2 champion, will transition into an F1 race seat in 2019.
Following Fernando Alonso’s shocking decision to Aston Martin, Piastri’s dramatic breakup with Alpine has been publicly played out over the past month. And it appears that the fact that he already had a contract with McLaren caused him to react angrily when Alpine tried to confirm him as its driver in 2023. We now know the contract is a multi-year pact.
Valtteri Bottas 77
No. 10 Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon 31
Fernando Alonso 14
Charles Leclerc 16
Carlos Sainz Jr., No. 55
Kevin Magnussen 20
Lando Norris (4)
Lewis Hamilton, 44
George Russell 63
Sergio Perez 11.
Max Verstappen, 33
Alex Albon 23
Who is the top driver for Ferrari?
Despite being under pressure to choose one driver to prioritize in their competition with Max Verstappen for the drivers’ championship, it currently appears that the Italian team is hesitant to do so.
Charles Leclerc may “compete freely,” according to Carlos Sainz, who maintains that he has not been selected as Ferrari’s top driver.
As we start the second half of the season, the Spaniard is 37 points back of his teammate. He has occasionally displayed amazing speed and captured his maiden Formula 1 victory at the British Grand Prix, but he has also encountered some bad luck.
Sainz had four DNFs in 2022, the most on the grid, and some may claim that none of them were his fault. And after receiving a grid penalty for installing new Control Electronics in his vehicle, he is expected to slip farther behind in this weekend’s French Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen continues to have a sizable lead in the standings, thus Ferrari has been pushed to make a choice. The Italian team will eventually need to select a lead driver who will serve as their primary rival against the Dutchman, but so far they have defied requests to do so.
When questioned about the circumstance by media prior to this weekend’s action, Sainz affirmed as much. He told the Spanish news organization Marca, “None of that has come to me. “Even though you always respect your teammate more, I know that I can battle with Charles if I show up on the weekends. I approach this place with the same mindset. I hope that the change in the situation will be communicated.
The gap between him and Leclerc, which currently stands at 37 points, would get much smaller if the Monegasque were to suffer another DNF. And given Ferrari’s reliability issues this year, particularly with their power units, that is not an implausible scenario.
Even though Leclerc leads the title, it is tough to judge how Sainz has performed this year given how many races have been impacted by technical issues. The Spanish player thinks that overall, the two teammates have fought quite evenly.
He continued, “In some places, yes, and in others, no. “Charles was faster throughout the opening period, then I was. The good news is that it didn’t happen in the beginning of the season, but it does now because I’ve improved, and I know I need to keep moving forward because I believe I have room for it.
“I think I can have a really good second part of the season when I discover a couple of other things that I lack in the car,” the driver said.
Leaving Formula One: McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo is ending his McLaren chapter despite still having one more year left on his contract.
The Woking-based squad announced on Wednesday that the Australian will be leaving at the conclusion of the 2022 season and that his contract had been “mutually agreed” upon early termination.
It has been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the past two seasons, but after several months of talks with Zak and Andreas, Ricciardo and the team have chosen to end his contract early and come to an amicable agreement to part ways at the end of the current season. I have no regrets and am pleased of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza last season. I’ll be announcing my own future intentions in due course, but regardless of what this new chapter brings, I have no regrets. I’ve loved working with everyone at McLaren, both on the racetrack and back in Woking, and I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got on and off the track as we enjoy the rest of the season together.
I’ve never felt more driven to participate in a sport that I adore and look forward to what lies ahead.
There are “no limits on where he may race,” according to reporter Chris Medland, and McLaren paid for the remaining year of Ricciardo’s deal.
With the Woking squad, he endured a turbulent period during which he was repeatedly questioned about his future at McLaren and in Formula 1. He stated again that he is “committed to McLaren till the end of next year and am not going away from the sport” prior to the French Grand Prix.
On the track, Ricciardo has had difficulty as well. Due to four top 10 finishes this season, he has accumulated 19 points. In Hungary, the 33-year-old displayed glimmers of his previous form by double-overtaking both Alpine drivers.
In 2020, a season impacted by COVID-19, the eight-time race winner was one of the strongest drivers on the grid. In his first season with Renault, Ricciardo finished in the top 10 in 14 of the 17 races, finishing the season with 11 straight finishes in the points.
Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Formula One entered its summer vacation, speculation over Daniel Ricciardo’s future at McLaren reached a new level. According to ESPN, team owner Andreas Seidl informed the 33-year-old that McLaren intended to replace him that Sunday night.
The following day, Aston Martin announced Fernando Alonso would replace Sebastian Vettel as their driver in 2023. The four-time world champion said that he would leave Formula One at the end of the current campaign.
Following Alonso’s unexpected decision to leave Alpine, the team announced that reserve driver Oscar Piastri would compete in Formula One alongside Esteban Ocon in 2023. The 21-year-old later clarified, “I understand that, without my consent, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon stating I am driving for them next year,” in a statement sent on Twitter a few hours later. This is false, because Alpine and I have not agreed to a deal for 2023. Next year, I won’t be a driver for Alpine.